Quiche

Quiche originated in the French region of Lorraine and has a faint trace of German heritage. Centuries ago, the idea of quiche was created with a simple egg and sausage tart. Today, you can find many different versions of it that include vegetables, seafood, roast chicken, and cheese.

Whether you serve this dish straight from the oven or chilled for a picnic, quiche is one of those meals that you can serve for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With its buttery, flaky crust, sauteed vegetables, and creamy flavours, the dish is like no other. The combination of these ingredients creates an unforgettable experience.

Ingredients

Short-crust pastry, Milk, Eggs, Mozzarella cheese, Cooking oil, Nutmeg powder, Salt, Black pepper, Zucchinis, Bell peppers, White mushrooms, Sweet corns, and Onion.

Short-crust pastry is a delicious pastry that can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes. It has a crumbly texture that uses flour and butter, with a little bit of water or egg. This pastry is sold at many supermarkets; you can also make it at home. This pastry differs from puff pastry, which has a distinctive flaky texture.

One of the best parts about quiche is that you can use different combinations of vegetables. My favourite vegetables for quiche are zucchini, red pepper, mushrooms, and corn. Black pepper, nutmeg, and salt are used in small amounts to provide depth and flavour to the quiche.

Milk and eggs form the custard-like filling of this dish. The eggs provide the structure of this dish, which helps the quiche to hold its shape. The milk adds creaminess and helps to create a smooth texture. For extra richness, you can use half milk and half heavy cream, or you can use heavy cream and eggs to give the quiche an extra luxurious flavour.

Instructions

Start by blind baking the short-crust pastry. This step is to ensure that the pastry hold its shape, as the pastry rises during baking process. Place the short-crust pastry in the casserole, ensuring it is large enough to cover the entire surface.

Apply slight pressure with your fingers to mould the pastry against the surface of the casserole. The short crust pastry already contains oil, and there is no need to apply extra oil on the casserole. 

Thereafter, place the parchment paper, or baking paper, inside the casserole, covering the pastry, and pour in the kidney beans on top of the parchment paper. There should be enough beans to hold the paper down, even in all four corners. Set the oven temperature to 175°C / 350°F and prebake the pastry for 15 minutes. The kidney beans can be reused after this process. 

Wash the mushrooms and zucchinis in running water, and then slice them. Also, slice the onion and cut the bell peppers into half-inch cubes. Drain the brine from the sweet corns and keep them aside. Thaw the shortcrust pastry while preparing the ingredients. 

Preheat a pot to medium-low heat. Drizzle two tablespoons of cooking oil and add the onions to sauté for four minutes. Remove the onions from the wok when it is done. Add the zucchinis, bell peppers, and sweet corn to the pot, and drizzle more cooking oil. Also, add the seasonings like salt, black pepper, and nutmeg powder. 

Transfer the sautéed vegetables, including the onion, into a casserole. Whisk the eggs in milk and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Then, pour the mixture evenly over the vegetables. If you’re adding cream, add it in now.

Cover the surface of the quiche with grated mozzarella cheese. For aesthetic purposes, a few pieces of zucchinis and mushrooms were cooked separately in butter to accentuate their aroma and flavour, which were then placed on top of the cheese. Add extra sprinkles of cheese to cover the spaces between the vegetables.

Preheat the oven to 175ºC / 350ºF, or the oven should be already hot from the prebaking. Place the casserole of quiche in the oven and bake for 20 minutes with the fan on, then 5 minutes without the fan. Without the fan, bake the quiche for about forty to forty-five minutes. The quiche will be ready when the cheese begins to brown.

Slice the quiche; cut the quiche all the way to the bottom so that the pastry will cut evenly. Quiche is best enjoyed while it is hot and freshly made.

What to serve Quiche with?

Quiche is a delicious and satisfying meal that can be served anytime of the day. Serve with a light side-dish such as a green salad or cucumber salad with vinaigrette, more filling sides like garlic bread or herb focaccia, and refreshing drinks like lemonade or fresh orange juice pair well with quiche.

How to store and reheat Quiche?

Allow the quiche to cool down to room temperature before storing it in the fridge. Use a knife to divide the quiche that can fit in the container. Use a wide spatula to apply firmly against the casserole and scoop up the quiche along with the short-crust pastry, and then transfer the quiche into an airtight container. 

Quiche can be stored in the fridge for up to four days; however, it is best to consume the quiche the next day, as the vegetables release water, making the short-crust pastry soggy over time. Quiche can also be frozen for a more extended period of storage, although freezing quiche is not recommended as the pastry will lose its original texture.

Use a microwave to reheat the quiche for convenience or a stovetop in a pan with the lid closed. Frozen quiche needs to be thawed before reheating in the microwave or stovetop, but the best method to reheat the frozen quiche by using the oven.